


Let No Man Put Asunder

by JadeSelena



Series: Peckstein [2]
Category: Rookie Blue
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-09-13 11:53:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16892094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeSelena/pseuds/JadeSelena
Summary: Sequel to 'God Help Her' so Dov/Gail established but still new. Follows the events of season 3 (with some changes to canon due to the history set in God Help Her). Synopsis: Still not entirely past the Chris thing, will their relationship be able to withstand having Nick around, too?  Will end Peckstein, I promise :)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I couldn't help myself and had to move forward with this little sequel to God Help Her (which can be found here https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7314897/1/God-Help-Her). It picks up a couple of weeks after the conclusion of that story (Dov and Gail are together [for now muahaha]) and will follow the events of season 3 of the show. I really hate going against canon but I kinda screwed myself with the backstory I had given Gail (wrt how to write Nick in) so you'll just have to bear with me and go with the flow. Hopefully most of you have forgotten the show's canon by now and it doesn't matter lol Except I will happily and proudly go against the canon that says Nick's name is Collins and he was part of Gail's past but is not related to the Chief (unless they changed that in later seasons when I wasn't watching) because it never made sense to me. I am also introducing Nick earlier in the season (before Andy gets back) because I hate 3-month time lapses and it works better for me.
> 
> I'm not particularly religious but I was looking for a title and decided to continue the theme set by God Help Her. Assuming he/she *did* help Gail, just not in the way she'd wanted, this is taken from the verse 'What God has joined together let no man put asunder.' Oops... spoiler alert ;) Peckstein with some Collick thrown in.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the fruits of my continued obsession with Gail Peck!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters; if I did I would have done something very different with them.

* * *

"Just how long are you planning on keeping this up?"

Gail glanced up from her hand to acknowledge Traci's approach. "I don't know. I figure the relationship has what?" She looked to Dov as though for his opinion. "Two good weeks left in it?" Immediately shrugged back at the other girl, "Give or take a few days."

Dov and Traci rolled their eyes in unison.

"I meant coming in early so Chris doesn't see you show up together." Traci motioned to the cards laid out between them on the car. "And playing games you hate just to pass the time."

"I know what you meant, Nash." Had answered accordingly, if not directly. "Dov's still trying to find something he can beat me at." Showing him her winning hand Gail grinned and threw it on top of the pile, then unfolded her legs to recline on the hood.

With an exaggerated sigh Dov tossed his cards onto hers.

Traci got her meaning but didn't really  _get_ it. "Chris has known for weeks, Gail; you told him yourself."

And it was among the top three hardest conversations she'd ever had to have. "Knowing is  _abstract_ ," she explained with a patronizing wave. "Easier to handle because it's easier to dismiss. Irrefutable proof being shoved in your face is a lot more painful because you can't really ignore it. That's why if you want someone to really suffer you don't just tell them, you  _show_ them." Like those annoying commercials with the emaciated children or the mistreated animals, designed specifically to shame and upset sheeple into donating money.

_Of course_  his girlfriend's argument was based on deconstructing how to make people suffer _…_  "Who would've thought that one day you would use your expansive knowledge of manipulation for good instead of evil?"

It was Gail's turn to roll her eyes. "Whatever. But last I checked  _I_  was supposed to be the insensitive one…"

Traci's forehead furrowed. "I guess I never had to worry about that with Dex." Although she hadn't thought anything of him having to see Jerry sometimes when picking up Leo, either… "Wait – how  _did_  the Ice Queen get to be the considerate one?"

"I like to think it's my influence," Dov volunteered jokingly.

Only if he meant that his presence in her life had made it  _necessary_ … "Relax, Trace – your 'most considerate' title is safe, as is my 'most selfish' one. I'm only saving myself from having to see that look on his face ever again." And if it had hurt her that much to see it she could only imagine how much pain he'd have been in to  _give_ it.

Dov recognized it for the deflection it was; would have made some gesture of comfort if not for the familiar truck that had turned into the parking lot.

"So you're just going to keep 'hiding' it from him?" Traci wondered, voice lowered even though Chris had yet to emerge from his vehicle. "What if he needs to see it  _to_ move on?" She worried that him being able to dismiss it wouldn't help  _anyone_ involved, least of all him.

Feigning a light bulb moment Gail snapped her fingers. " _Or_ , bear with me here, you could just hurry up and start introducing him to your little girlfriends already." Her sole objective was for it to stop hurting him (so she could stop feeling guilty, of course), and the wound wouldn't heal if salt was constantly being poured into it… "I'd set him up myself but, you know, double-dating this soon would be a little awkward."

"Right," Traci scoffed, " _Timing_ is the problem with that plan." And not the fact that she didn't  _have_  other friends, much less girl ones.

Gail gave her a look of sheer disappointment. "That's the joke, Nash. You didn't get it. Bad job."

Traci rolled her eyes. "Or maybe the joke's not that great if it has to be  _explained_ …" It wasn't her fault Peck was so ridiculously good at 'deadpan' and couldn't always be expected to be self-aware…

"What joke?" Chris asked as he joined them.

Not trusting Traci to come up with something plausible Gail answered in her stead: "That one I told you yesterday about the kookaburra and the banana leaf."

"Oh, yeah," Chris chuckled, remembering. "That was hilarious.  _Coconuts!_ "

Gail smirked at Traci; condescended, "See? Chris got it."

Traci bit her tongue – as the blonde had doubtless known she would because she wasn't a vindictive  _wench_  – and changed the subject. "So I talked to Andy last night. She's going crazy planning all this stuff for our trip. Camping, canoeing…"

" _K_ -ill me now," Gail cut in. "She knows we're only crashing her exile for three days, right?"

" _Self-imposed_  exile," Traci corrected, then noted the judgmental brow. "What? It's an important distinction." She was actually proud of Andy for removing herself from the situation to avoid the temptation.

Gail rolled her eyes; refrained from pointing out that the suspension precipitating the exile was very much  _not_ voluntary. And that the brunette was only delaying the inevitable.

"That stuff sounds like fun," Chris lamented, "How come we don't get to come?"

Traci gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry. Girls' trip." They hadn't needed Gail to tell them that inviting the guys – on what would then become her and Dov's first trip as a couple – would have been a monumentally  _bad_ idea.

"You can take my place," Gail offered facetiously, "If I'm lucky I'll be dead by then." How she'd gotten roped into it to begin with she  _still_ didn't know (something about being supportive and encouraging and  _blah blah blah_ ), but she sure hoped it went better than 'Girls'  _Night'_  had.

Her casual reference to dying made Dov flinch. "Well, today just might be your lucky day."

No enemy to passive-aggressiveness, it was the over-protectiveness that really set Gail's teeth on edge. "Yeah –  _might be._ "

Dov swallowed his next comment, well aware he probably wouldn't be so annoyingly neurotic about these things if she weren't so frustratingly  _cavalier_  about them.

Glancing between them Traci tried to figure out the source of the sudden tension; realized, "The ride-along's today…"

Gail nodded. "And the Chief called to say his brother can't make it so they're sending someone else."

Which explained why Dov was less than thrilled about it... "Do you even know who?"

"It'll be  _fine,"_  Gail asserted, less than kindly. "Where's all this concern when I'm stuck with Trouble-Magnet McNally for a partner?"

Traci sighed but said nothing, accepting it for the rhetorical question it was.

"Well, to begin with Andy is trained and has her own weapon," Dov pointed out.

_For all the good that's done her…_ "I can give him a gun, too, if that'll make you feel better." Gail's tone was patronizingly sweet.

Chris would have advised Dov to quit while he was ahead – this battle especially was not one he was going to win – but that would require acknowledging their relationship (and wanting to  _help_  it). "So what are we going to do while the women-folk are in North Bay?"

As grateful as Traci was for the non-sequitur… " _Women-folk_?"

"You could go to a strip club," Gail suggested, just to see Chris' face turn red. "Get your ya-yas out."

"Gail!"

"I'm kidding, Chris. You know if you guys are going to a strip club I want in." Her attention was drawn from his heated cheeks to a motorcycle that had come to a stop just in front of her car. "What? You hear 'strip club' and you want to join the conversation? Keep it moving, creeper." But instead of complying the figure removed its helmet.

"Is that any way to talk to the guy who paid a shitload of money to spend time with you?"

Gail's mouth fell open. "Nick?"

Placing his helmet on the back of the bike Nick kicked out the stand and dismounted. "Okay, so I didn't shell out the money  _myself_  – the army doesn't pay that well – but I'm sure it came out of my inheritance somehow."

_Oh my God…_  Gail slid off the hood and into his open arms. "What are you doing here?"

The others exchanged a baffled glance.

Nick held her tightly, chin resting atop her head. "Something about a day I'm never going to forget?" Though most days with her  _were._

Dov's brain struggled to process what was happening. "You're here for the ride-along?"

"Yeah." She made no move to let him go and Nick had no interest in dislodging her.

" _Ahem_ ," Traci cleared her throat.

"Oh, uh…" Gail broke the hug and turned to the others. "Nick Collins. Traci Nash, Chris Diaz, Dov Epstein."

Chris automatically held out his hand. "Collins? Like Chief Collins?"

Nick shook the proffered hand, his other arm still around Gail's shoulders. "He's my uncle. Well, adopted uncle – his brother's family took me in when I lost my parents."

"That sucks." Realizing how it sounded Chris clarified, "That you lost your parents, not that they took you in."

"Yeah, I got that," Nick chuckled.

"I hate to break up this little reunion," Traci lied, "but we're going to be late to parade." And she now had a cagey blonde to grill…

Gail smirked up at Nick. "You planning on parking that thing? You see, how this works is we take a  _cruiser_ to fight crime and transpo the bad guys…"

"Didn't you always want to be a motorcycle cop?" Nick 'remembered.' "Wind in your hair, sun on your face…"

"Bugs in my teeth?" Gail supplied in disgust. "Yeah,  _no_. Thanks."

Giving her a wink Nick started to walk his bike to a free spot.

"Someone grab my stuff," Gail instructed before taking off after him.

"Sure, your highness. We live to serve," Traci automatically snarked. Was of course ignored.

By the time Dov gathered the cards and hopped off the car Chris was already emerging from the back seat with Gail's garment bag and duffel.

Chris shrugged at his friend's questioning eyebrow.  _Old habits die hard._

Watching the blonde jump up onto the newcomer's back – and him grab her legs to keep her there – Traci's eyebrow did its  _own_  impression of a mountain peak. "Uh... she ever mention him to you guys?"

Dov shook his head.

"No," Chris offered as they began to follow the pair. "Her mother mentioned a 'Nick' a few times but I thought he was just some ex. I had no idea he was related to the Chief."

That didn't make Dov feel any better, though Chris seemed to be sufficiently impressed.

"Come on, slowpokes!" Gail called out over her shoulder just before the door closed behind them. Within minutes of entering the booking room they came upon Frank and she allowed her feet to return to the floor. "Sir, this is Nick Collins. He's here for the…"

"I know who he is," Frank interrupted, accepting the younger man's hand to shake. "Welcome to the 15, Nick. We're lucky to have you."

Nick felt Gail stiffen beside him; braced himself for her reaction. "Well, you don't have me yet," he told his future SS with a strained smile. "Still a month or so left until graduation."

_Have you? Graduation?_  "What the hell is going on?" In her mounting confusion Gail barely registered the others joining them.

Knowing how close their families were Frank didn't understand why Peck seemed to be so out of the loop. "Everyone, please welcome Nick Collins, the 15's newest rookie."

Any relief Dov felt that she would be riding with a cadet was nullified by the fact that it was  _this_ cadet…

_Newest rookie?_ Giving Nick a withering look, equal parts anger and betrayal, Gail folded her arms over her chest and demanded, "Just how long have you been back?"

Nick flinched inwardly, having hoped to have this conversation later and without quite so many spectators, but knowing it would be infinitely worse if he lied. "Since last spring."

Gail's stomach dropped but she embraced the rage. "You've been back a year and I'm just  _now_  finding out?"

"I wanted to surprise you. I was going to wait until my first day but then this popped up…" Nick trailed off, realizing he had in no way helped his case by admitting he had planned to keep it from her for another month.

_Well, that was a quick honeymoon_ Dov thought as he took in the exchange. Beside him Traci looked like she was just missing a bucket of popcorn and Chris seemed anxious, like he was anticipating having to step in.

"You are  _so_  lucky my boss is standing right there," Gail informed him through grit teeth.

Nick could only imagine; was still surprised he hadn't been punched on sight.

"Don't you guys have somewhere to be?" Frank prodded the onlookers, wondering if he'd signed himself up for some  _new_  round of fresh hell when the last had only just ended. "Peck, you still need to be in uniform."

His tone was gentle but it did nothing to soothe her. "We are not done talking about this," she threatened Nick with a low growl and a menacing finger.

Nick schooled his features free of amusement – God, he'd missed his little Gustnado – and nodded with appropriate solemnity.

"How's that day you'll never forget looking  _now_?" Despite Dov's best efforts a small amount of gloating had seeped into his voice.

Dropping all pretenses Nick clapped the guy on the shoulder and gave him a cocky wink. "Not my first time at the Gail rodeo, my friend, but your concern is touching."

Dov's smile vanished at the evoked images.

Neither one was spared Gail's death glare as she grabbed her bags from Chris before storming off to the locker room.

" _Soooo_ ," Traci wasted no time in venturing as soon as the door had swished to a close behind them, "What up with that?"

"Un-fucking-believable," Gail griped, slamming open her locker door to start getting changed. "Gone five years then shows up out of the blue on that stupid little bike like some  _Grease 2_ T-Bird wannabe and he's actually been back  _a year_." How fucking  _dare_ he?!

Traci suspected the blonde was rambling to herself because everyone there (and possibly everyone in the building by now) had already gotten  _that_ part. "Yeah, but who  _is_  he?"

Gail broke free of her internal rampage to chastise, "I  _told_  you _._ " Maybe Nick wasn't the only one suffering from amnesia.

"Who is he to _you_ , Gail," Traci spelled out, pulling on her uniform shirt.

_And the inquisition begins…_  "Not that it's any of your business but we've never been together."

Traci paused in doing up her buttons, surprised. "You telling me you never hit that delicious hunk of man-meat?"

"Of course I did," Gail scoffed as she did up her pants, "I'm anti-social, not brain-dead. But we were never a couple." Which is what she'd assumed that question had been aimed at finding out.

Silly Traci for forgetting the girl subscribed to the Bill Clinton School of Words with Very Narrow Definitions… "You know, most people would consider 'never been together' to also mean sexually."

Most people were still suburban enough to think you had to be together to be 'together;' Gail had never put much stock in what 'most' thought. "Together implies a commitment beyond getting each other off. Chris and I were together; Nick and I experimented as teenagers."

" _Just_  as teenagers?" The blonde wasn't about to get Traci on another semantical technicality.

Well, after a while it could no longer be classified as experimenting, could it? "Get to your point, Nash." Gail's patience was incredibly thin at the moment.

Traci was going to take that as a 'no.' "How come you were never together?" That was the most unabashedly  _something_ (affectionate? intimate? unreserved? all of the above?) she'd ever seen Gail be with  _anyone_  and it just didn't make sense.  _Especially_  if they'd already been sleeping together.

Gail rolled her eyes. "I know it offends your 'fairy-tale romance' view of the world but it  _is_ possible for people to have sex without being in love."

"What?" Speaking of things that didn't make sense…

Seeing the other girl's puzzled look Gail lifted her shoulders in an unapologetic shrug. "Sorry. Forgot you weren't Andy there for a second."

_Or_ that was an attempt at diversion… "That wasn't an answer, Gail."

_Ugh…_ "You think I was anti-social when I hit the 15?" she posed rhetorically and with no small amount of disdain. "Even if I  _was_  down for a relationship – which I was _not_ – he was like the closest thing I had to a friend. The thought never even crossed my mind."

She seemed to be telling the truth but Traci couldn't shake the gnawing suspicion that there was more to the story. "So what happened?"

Gail blew out a huff of annoyed air as she inserted her bobby pins with more force than was absolutely necessary. "He enlisted. Needed to find himself or some shit."

"Oh." Unsure where to go from there Traci stated the obvious: "And now he's back."

"And now he's back," Gail repeated flatly.

Traci had another question – one regarding his  _intentions_  – but it was clear that the answer didn't lie with her friend. Still, she had to ask, "Is it gonna be a problem?"

"Depends. If his excuse really sucks you might have to arrest me for murder." That would probably constitute a problem…

Either the blonde had intentionally misunderstood the [admittedly vague] question, or it was just such a non-issue for her that she hadn't even clued in to what the real question  _was_. "And if it  _doesn't_  suck?"

Gail shut her locker with a resounding clang, hard-pressed to think of a reason he could possibly give that she would find in any way acceptable. "In that  _very_  unlikely event? I guess I'll let him live. But he'll still have a hell of a lot of groveling to do before he even gets to see the  _turnoff_  for my good graces again."

It wasn't all that long ago that Dov had been so far outside her good graces he'd been in 'dead to her' land, or that the thought of being with  _him_ had yet to cross her mind either… All things considered Traci had a really bad feeling about this, and she could only hope that this sense of foreboding (curse her great instincts) didn't turn into a case of déjà vu…


	2. Chapter 2

Gail snuck into the Tac room, finger to her lips so the exiting Jackson wouldn't announce her presence. Approaching Dov from behind she sent her fingers gliding over his waist and up his abs.

"Jesus!" Dov huffed, jumping at the unexpected contact. "Gail?"

"Who else?" she wondered as he turned in her arms. "On a completely unrelated note, I'm not opposed to sharing as long as I'm invited. Just an FYI..."

Dov rolled his eyes, then darted them to the open doorway while he accepted her kiss. "What about Chris?"

Settling back on her heels Gail hooked one thumb in his belt and set the other to wiping his bottom lip of evidence. "I mean, I guess I could ask him but I kinda feel like if it didn't happen when we were all living together it's probably not gonna."

Her cheeky little shrug did nothing to lessen the pain and discomfort of that particular mental image. " _Gail_ …"

She dropped her hand to his chest and gave him a quasi-apologetic smile. "Too soon?"

"Yeah…" His grip tightened on her hips as though for emphasis. "Little bit."

Then he  _really_ needed to stop setting her up perfectly like that… "Traci is running interference so I can say bye. You know, just in case I  _do_  die today." Her tone made it clear how likely she thought  _that_ was.

If she couldn't even pretend to take his feelings seriously Dov wished she would at least refrain from  _poking_  at them. "Am I supposed to be grateful?"

"God, no – it wasn't  _my_ idea." Like there was any doubt… "But Traci said I'm a big fat meanie and how would I feel if I left it like that and something  _did_ happen." 'I won't feel  _anything_  – I'll be dead,' had been her automatic retort, to which Traci had replied, 'Fine – how will  _Dov_ feel?' and then Gail had groaned loudly (while mentally stomping her foot) and begrudgingly given in. "I'm not sure when she became your personal champion, by the way, but you're definitely getting her in the divorce."

It was so petulant that Dov had to laugh. "Her choice or yours?"

"Hers." Not that Gail wanted her… "Chris'll be torn but ultimately he'll pick me, because reasons. And Andy'll insist on joint custody and everything staying amicable."

Dov quirked an eyebrow. "Should I be concerned by how much thought you've put into this?" Or that it was her second reference to breaking up in the last hour?

"That was just off the top of my head," she assured him, tracing soothing patterns in the fabric beneath her fingers. "But you do get that you're overreacting, right? There's only one of us here that trouble seems to find on the regular and you don't see  _me_  freaking out every time you leave the house."

" _Nice_." He knew she was just stating the facts as she saw them – that in her mind she was being  _reassuring_  even – but for someone who swore she didn't see him as a screw-up she sure brought it up in her arguments a lot.

The only thing Gail hated more than the over-protectiveness was the hypocrisy of him feeling free to outright question her decisions – without cause, under the guise of loving her – while taking anything _she_  said, no matter how offhand or  _accurate_ , as a personal attack. But she told herself that if he could put up with  _her_ less than desirable qualities – dubious sense of humor and lack of a sensitivity chip chief amongst them – then she could make allowances for his abandonment and inadequacy issues… "Dov, there's no point worrying about shit that 99% won't even happen." Leaning into him she purred, "I prefer to save my limited energy for far more pleasurable things…"

Dov instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist to hold her to him. Not wanting to waste what little time they had fighting, he gave in with a sigh. "Can you at least promise me you'll be careful so I'm not saving all that energy up for nothing?"

It took everything Gail had to not point out that her name was neither 'Dov' nor 'Andy' and so the request was unnecessary bordering on insulting. "You know I'm way too attached to my body to  _not_  be," she offered instead, giving him a saucy wink. "But I'll do you one better: if careful doesn't work I'll just use Collins as a human shield."

Joke or not, that prospect probably shouldn't have made Dov as happy as it did… "You're going to make it look like an accident, though, right?" A manslaughter charge was better than dead, but still…

Who did he think he was talking to? " _Duh_. And if I learned anything from all those years shadowing my mother it's what  _not_ to do in a cover up." It was amazing how many cops were just as dumb, or as  _lazy_ , as common criminals.

Maybe Elaine's hyper-tutelage was good for something after all. Although… "If you  _do_ go to prison we'd have to be married to get conjugal visits…"

Gail's eyebrow lifted, more amusement than censure. "Are you seriously hoping I get locked up just so I agree to marry you?" That was certainly a new one.

" _If_ you go to prison," Dov reiterated with an overly-innocent shrug. "Silver lining."

_Right…_ He was enjoying this little hypothetical a tad too much, but if it kept his mind off of worrying… "Fine.  _If_ I'm going to prison I'll marry you."

Dov threw his arms up in the air. "Everything's coming up Milhouse!"

"Don't get too excited," she warned, rolling her eyes (mostly) affectionately and patting his cheek. "I reserve the right to do whatever I have to on the inside to establish my power base. No way I'm gonna end up someone else's bitch."

" _Romantic_ ," he deadpanned, returning his arms to her waist. "You gonna work that into your vows somehow?"

Hand still on his cheek she gazed up into his eyes. "'Dov, just know that even though over the next five to ten my nights will belong to my enforcer, Big Bertha, my heart will still belong to you.'"

"Aw…" Dov wiped away an imaginary tear; sniffed, "That just might be the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

He joked but it was probably true – she liked to keep the bar low so it was easy to clear. Manage expectations and all that… "But let's be real here: I'm a rich white well-connected lady-cop with a clean record; even if I  _do_  get caught I'm never going to see any jail time." If not for the 'Collins' thing she might even get to keep her badge.

As depressing an indictment of society as that was, he suspected she was right. "I guess I'll just have to find some other way to convince you then."

Oh, Gail had no doubt he'd try… "Good luck with that. Now if we're done fantasizing murder, marriage, and miscarriages of justice…" Glancing at the clock on the wall she put her arms around his neck and rose up onto the balls of her feet. "We have about a minute left for making out."

Dov grinned. "You sure have a strange idea of foreplay…"

"You complaining?" she breathed against his mouth.

"Nope."

* * *

Gail pushed through the door to the parking lot, her fury reignited by having to listen to Frank talk Nick up to everyone in parade. "I should make you sit in the back." Or better yet, the  _trunk_.

"But then you'd have to yell at me through the rearview and where's the fun in that?" Nick's face fell and he came to an abrupt stop when she spun around with a clenched fist partially raised.

"Are you seriously making jokes right now?" If that wannabe-charming smile she'd heard in his voice had still been there she would have  _punched_  it off.

Okay, so probably not the best idea when she was armed, angry, and very much dangerous. "Gail…"

She shook her head in warning. "Get in the car, Nick." Turning on her heel she opened the door to throw her gear in the back; slammed it closed and got in the driver's seat.

He'd barely closed  _his_  door when she backed out of the spot and roared out of the lot. "Uh… maybe you should slow down a bit."

"Don't tell me what to do, Collins." Reaching over she yanked up on his seat belt so it tightened painfully against him. "There – if we get into an accident you'll be safe." Two tours in Afghanistan and he was worried about a little speed, for God's sake…

"At least you still care about my well-being," he joked, subtly sticking a thumb between the fabric and his stomach to relieve the pressure. He did not point out that she had, in fact, slowed down.

Gail gave him the death glare to shame all death glares.  _Obviously_ she still cared about his well-being; she wouldn't be so pissed and hurt and betrayed if she  _didn't_. "A  _year_ , Nick."

"I know." He wouldn't defend himself, partly because she had a right to her anger but mostly because they wouldn't get anywhere until she got it all out.

"I didn't understand why you had to go halfway around the world to a warzone to deal with your shit but I  _supported_  you." And they both knew how good she was at putting someone else's needs before her own.

"I know." Just like he knew that her support had cost her her only ally and confidant.

"It hurt like hell but I saw you off. And you told me,  _promised_  me, you'd be gone two years max." Two years until she could  _breathe_ again.

"I  _know_." And at the time he'd really thought it would be enough.

"You  _don't_!" she snapped, shooting him a blurred glare. "You  _don't_ know! You don't know how happy I was when your tour was up…"

His eyes burned, seeing her blink away tears. "Gail…"

"Or how  _un_ happy I was when you said you were staying. Because it wasn't just about waiting longer, Nick; it was about having to start worrying all over again if you'd be alive  _to_  come home." She bit her lip and let out a hoarse scoff. "And now I find out I spent the last year worrying for nothing."

"Not for nothing," he swore with a sharp jerk of his head. "I came back messed up, Gail."

Gail scoffed again. "Funny, because going was supposed to make you  _un_ -messed up." That was the entire  _point_.

Nick wished she would pull over so he didn't have to have this conversation with the side of her face. "A  _different_ kind of messed up, Gail. And you'd stopped answering my letters or taking my calls. I didn't know if you even wanted anything to do with me."

_Nice –_ he'd broken his word but it was  _her_ fault… "And you thought the longer you hid from me the  _better_ it would get?" Had he suffered brain damage over there?

"My therapist told me to wait." When the anticipated contempt didn't materialize – she only lifted an (albeit judgy) eyebrow – he explained, "I know it sounds like a cop-out but she was worried I'd backslide if it didn't go well."

"You're right – that does sound like a cop-out." It wasn't the first time Gail had been accused of being bad for someone's mental health, though, and she had to wonder how often she'd come up in his sessions for the therapist to draw the same conclusion… "Was it also her idea for you to roll on up in here like a cocky bastard, acting like you  _haven't_ been gone five years?"

"No…" Waiting for her to look at him he gave her a crooked grin. "I knew that if you smelled blood in the water I was as good as dead."

Gail sighed in self-loathing and turned back to the road. "If you were going to join the mollycoddled masses anyway why didn't you just do  _that_  to deal with your shit?"  _Instead_  of enlisting.

Her palpable disdain for anyone 'weak' enough to partake was only one of the reasons he'd waited until now to tell her: "I did."

"What?" Pulling off the road Gail threw the cruiser into park. " _When_?" And why hadn't she known about it?

"Uh…" With her attention now laser-focused on him Nick suddenly regretted his wish. "When we got back from Europe."

Gail bit off a bitter laugh. "I didn't realize travelling with me was so horrible it sent you running to see a shrink. At least now I know the real reason you made me come home, I guess." She'd never bought the lame one he'd given back then.

"Gail, come on," Nick sighed. "We'd already been gone twice as long as we were supposed to be and our parents were flipping." It wasn't the whole truth but he wasn't about to come clean now.

"Only half of them were flipping." Bill and Jenny had continued financing their little expedition. "And really it's their fault for thinking we could see all of Europe in a year, anyway."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, they really should have known that by 'travel' you actually meant 'spend a month in each country.'"

Gail stared at him a moment, unimpressed, before maneuvering the car back into traffic. "Tell dispatch we're in our zone."

"Huh?" He was as taken aback by the sudden non-sequitur as by the request itself. "How?"

"With the radio," she instructed, voice dripping with scorn. "I assume you learned how to use one while off playing G.I. Joe?"

It had been a while so he couldn't be sure whether that was pissed off snark or just regular old garden variety snark. "I meant 'what do I say?' Not all of us grew up with the boys in blue as our personal chauffeurs."

Oh, he was one to mock preferential treatment… "Is the returning war hero slash Chief's nephew too busy being fawned over at the academy to pay attention? 'Cause I'm pretty sure they cover that…"

Of course she'd think it was that simple – she'd had all the manuals memorized by the time he'd met her… "Well, if I'd known there would be a quiz I would have had one of my many  _admirers_  help me study…"

Maybe if he hadn't decided to  _ambush_  her… "It's not rocket science, Nick – you give them our call sign and status code. I think even you can manage that."

Okay, so he was leaning towards it being the 'pissed off' kind of snark… "I know the procedure, Gail; I just don't know the exact code."

"You know what? Forget it," she decided, "I could have done it myself by now."

Nick grabbed the hand mic before she could, holding it out of her reach. "And you could have just given me the code in the time it took you to bitch about it…"

Taking a calming breath Gail grit her teeth and returned her hand to the steering wheel. "10-54."

"Thank you. That wasn't so hard, was it?" He smirked at her as he pressed the mic's button. "Dispatch, 1509 reporting 10-54."

"Good job," Gail praised with only a hint of sarcasm. "Very official-sounding." Not that it mattered…

" _1509, please repeat. Are you saying there's livestock on the road in Corktown?"_

"Seriously, Gail?" Nick groaned.

"You should really brush up on your codes…" Stealing the mic from him she reconnected with the house. "Dispatch, 1509. Disregard and show us as 10-8."

" _10-4, 1509."_

Nick detected an undercurrent of laughter in the brief transmission; could've kicked himself for not realizing the code was too high to be something so common. Or that she'd given in too easily. Or that she was  _that_ upset about his comment… "Gail, we'd been in Dublin for two months. You signed a lease without telling me, for Christ's sake."

"Okay, one: it was only a little lease." Barely a lease at all, really. "Two: I was tired of staying in hostels and hovels. And three: I thought being in Ireland would get my mom off my back."

" _Bullshit_ ," he immediately called her out. "You knew the only thing that would get her off your back was you home with a badge and that's  _exactly_  what you were avoiding. You picked Ireland because you liked the boozing and the boys."

Gail flinched at the truth more than the tone. "It was supposed to be our rumspringa, Nick. Our last hurrah before succumbing to the soul-crushing weight and monotony of adulthood." The entire  _reason_  for the trip was avoidance.

"Yeah, well, one of us did a lot more hurrahing than the other." He'd lost count of the number of nights he'd spent alone in the apartment he hadn't agreed to.

"Aw…" Reaching over Gail gave his cheek a patronizing pinch. "If I didn't know better I'd think you were jealous, Collins."

Nick batted her away. "It just wasn't what I thought it would be, okay? It didn't help the way I thought it would." He'd been stupid to think it would change anything.

As much as Gail hated her parents sometimes – had wished she could trade them in for different models – she couldn't even imagine losing them both and then having Steve abandon her never to be seen again; how much it would fuck her up… "So you decided to go see a shrink."

"Not on my own." After his parents' deaths he'd had a court-appointed psychologist but it had never seemed to help. "Jenny saw I was in a bad place so she convinced me to give it another shot."

There was no implication in his words but Gail's takeaway was that they'd lived together for almost two years and she  _hadn't_ seen it _._  She'd have to revisit that little revelation later, though, because right now he was in the dog house goddamn it and if she started thinking about how self-absorbed she'd been back then (still was, if she were being honest) then the righteous anger she could already feel waning would slip away altogether. "Clearly they weren't very good at their job if you still needed to enlist." Yup, deflection worked…

"I needed to get away, Gail." Before she could point out that technically he had just  _been_  away (for two years, no less) he added, "To have a  _purpose_. She thought a change in perspective would be good for me."

_She?_ Gail's fingers tightened on the wheel. "It's the same therapist? I guess it shouldn't surprise me that the quack who thought PTSD would be a step  _up_  also tried to keep you from your friends." Chiquita was  _seriously_ getting on her nerves.

"Gail…"

"Did Jenny see her ad on the side of a bus shelter or something?" You'd think a paramedic and a defense attorney would've had a better pool of resources to draw from…

Nick would have laughed if not for the seriousness of the conversation. Before she could continue her rant he put a restraining hand on her arm. "Gail, they were my decisions to make." He just couldn't tell her why he'd made them.

The soft declaration was like a blade in Gail's chest, and she bit the inside of her cheek as her gaze scanned the busy streets.

Watching her try not to cry gutted him. "Gilly…"

" _Don't_ ," she cut him off, barely more than a whisper. "You lost the right to call me that when you started keeping secrets." He was the one person she'd never kept  _anything_ from.

Blowing out a guilty puff of air Nick turned his attention out the window.

It was a good fifteen minutes before Gail broke the silence with a quiet, "Who knew?"

"Just my family," he rushed to assure her, knowing she was questioning whether or not the betrayal extended to  _hers_. "And they were sworn to secrecy."

The Chief was surely included in that, and she couldn't help but hear her mother's voice inform her that if she hadn't  _sorely neglected_ that relationship she might have known sooner.

"They tried to get me to tell you, Gail. But I wasn't ready." Appealing to her ego – trying to make her  _smile_ – he jokingly confessed, "I wanted to make sure my head was on straight before you knocked it off again."

Gail warily cut her eyes to him. "And is it?"

It wasn't a smile but it felt like an opening… "Yeah. She helped me work through some stuff."

Squashing a surge of irritation at the mention of his useless excuse for a shrink Gail lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Gave you a little physical therapy to go along with your mental?"

Nick considered throwing her 'jealous' comment back at her but decided on the safer, "Good to see you're still obsessed with my sex life, Peck."

"I was never obsessed with your sex life," Gail denied easily. "I had a vested interest in your love life because it affected  _my_ sex life. You cut me off whenever you got a girlfriend."

She said that like it was unusual and a  _bad_ thing… "What can I say? I guess I'm just a gentleman that way."

Rolling her eyes Gail focused them back on the road as the light turned green.

"I'm good now, Gail." He needed her to believe that. "I'm back where I belong and I can appreciate what I have instead of dwelling on what I don't. I found serenity."

Gail's brow furrowed. "Like, the movie? I didn't even know you'd lost it." Or  _had_ it. Or what that even had to do with anything.

Nick knew she wasn't familiar with the concept but that was just sad. "No, like 'the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.'"

_Oh_ … "Isn't that part of the AA pledge?" Where was Andy when she could actually be useful?

"I'm pretty sure it was  _just_  a prayer first," Nick laughed. "And before you ask: no I'm not an alcoholic."

Gail wasn't sure she wouldn't prefer 'alcoholic' to 'religious'… After a minute of quiet contemplation, lip worried between her teeth, she gave him her best 'don't fuck with me' look. "You better be for real, Collins. 'Cause I'm already past my emotional capacity for friends like four times over and if I let you back in only for you to leave me again…"

"Not gonna happen." Snatching her flailing hand from the air Nick held it to his borrowed vest; promised, "If I go anywhere you're coming with me. Even if I have to kidnap you."

His sincerity shattered the last of Gail's defenses but she hid her weakness behind an indignant eyebrow and a pointed glance at her captured limb. "Good to see you're still obsessed with  _tying me up_ , Collins."

Nick chuckled as he released her. "Bondage was always  _your_  kink, babe."

"Oh, please," Gail scoffed, waving her newly reclaimed hand. "You loved it, having me all trussed up and at your mercy." Not to mention it was the only time he was ever in  _control_.

"Yeah, you're right…" Heaving a nostalgic sigh he tacked on a wistful, "Only thing better was when you were  _gagged_ , too."

_Ooh…_ Gail shook her head at him even as she suppressed a smile. "I'd watch myself if I were you, Collins – I could arrange for you to have an 'accident' today and no one would be the wiser."

Nick grinned at the idle threat, thinking how good it was to finally be home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picks up on the same day as the previous chapter. First part is Dov & Oliver, second is Gail & Nick.
> 
> Reminder that Oliver is secretly having marital issues because of the whole trip to Gilly's (the strip club) thing.

**Previously:**

After a minute of quiet contemplation, lip worried between her teeth, Gail gave him her best 'don't fuck with me' look. "You better be for real, Collins. 'Cause I'm already past my emotional capacity for friends like four times over and if I let you back in only for you to leave me again…"

"Not gonna happen." Snatching her flailing hand from the air Nick held it to his borrowed vest; promised, "If I go anywhere you're coming with me. Even if I have to kidnap you."

* * *

**Now:**

"You okay? You've been quiet all shift."

Dov kept his eyes cast out the window of the cruiser. "I'm fine."

"Really?" Not that Oliver was normally one to look a gift horse in the mouth (especially not this  _particular_  gift horse), but the lack of chatter was actually more troubling than refreshing. Even with the drama having quieted down over the last couple of weeks the boy hadn't actually gotten quit _er_ , he'd just returned to babbling about more mundane things…

A loud chirping saved Dov from having to answer. Checking his phone he found a message from Gail:  _Back at the barn. All in one piece._ It was accompanied by a picture of her all gowned up and pulling a Gene Simmons pose, taken in a mirror in the girls' locker room.

"Peck?" Oliver guessed.

"Yeah. She got cut early for the dinner." Dov hit send on 'And a mighty fine piece it is' before realizing just how  _bad_ that was, and apparently she agreed because not ten seconds later 'Casper' was flashing across his screen. He cringed as he accepted the call. "Hey."

" _Did you really just say that?"_

"It sounded better in my head than it looks typed out," Dov conceded. "You just don't get the full effect of my geeky charm through text."

" _Right. That *must* be it…"_

She sounded at least a  _little_ amused so he was going to chalk it up as another win for geeky charm all the same… "So how was your day?" It was the most he'd allow himself to ask over the phone and with Oliver listening.

" _Boring. Almost like there was some big conspiracy to take all the cool calls and leave me with the dog park altercations and adolescent candy thieves."_

"Weird…" At risk of deepening her ire he 'marveled,' "The rest of us have been  _super_  busy."

" _Ugh. I hate you all."_

"Yeah, yeah – we know." It just didn't carry as much weight as it used to… "Leaving soon for the restaurant?"

" _Yup. Finest dining I can get on division dime. Jealous?"_

"Yes." It wasn't because of the free food, though.

" _We can trade places: you and your fancy feet can take Collins out for a twirl and I can go home and binge-watch 'Orange is the New Black.'"_

"Hmm," Dov pretended to consider it. "I totally would but I don't think I could pull off that dress."

" _Oh, I think you totally *can*… later on tonight."_

Oliver took that as his cue to announce, "I can *totally* hear you, you know." Close quarters did  _not_  make for private conversations.

" _Well, what'd you go and tell me for? Now I'm going to have to start charging you."_

"I don't think he appreciates the thoughts you just put in my head," Dov chuckled.

"No, I most definitely do not." Pinching the sleeve of the boy's coat Oliver pulled until the phone was between them. "Hey, Bright Eyes? I'm stuck in a car with your boyfriend for at least another hour… if you could be a doll and not get him all worked up that'd be great…"

Her laughter drifted from the other end of the line.

" _10-4, old man. But only because I'm not sure your heart could take the excitement of listening in."_

"That's my girl," Oliver declared with mock-pride, returning his hand to the wheel. "Always thinking of others."

" _Not to brag or anything but I hear I'm a lock for 'Humanitarian of the Year.'"_

Dov smiled as he brought the cell back to his ear; narrated, "He's rolling his eyes at you."

" _Oh, he loves it. So what are you doing after shift?"_

"Waiting for you." But she already knew that.

Oliver winced in second-hand embarrassment. "We're going to the Penny."

"Uh…" Dov gave him a confused look but relayed the information nonetheless: "Apparently we're going to the Penny."

" _I heard. I'd tell you not to have too much fun without me but we both know you couldn't if you tried."_

Not while he was thinking about all the fun  _she_ was having, no… "So I'll just wait for you there then?"

Oliver's palm met his forehead with a barely audible 'thud.'

" _That works – you can get a lift with Oliver and leave me the car. I'll see you later."_

"Okay." Dov didn't even have to swallow the 'I love you' that would have followed for any  _normal_  couple because it would have been professed to a dial tone. He put his phone away with a sigh.

"Could you be any more pathetic?" Oliver posed facetiously. "You got the girl – you can stop playing the part of the love-sick teenager any time now."

Right – as much as anyone  _could_ have Gail… "I spent the night at her place and we only took one car in; I had to come back for her when she was done anyway."

Oliver suspected not coming in separately was less an oversight than it was the kid's doing so that he could see her again – which made him no  _less_  pathetic – and had to teasingly point out, "Bossy girl like her, she'd have had no trouble commandeering a lift home."

"I'm sure Collins would  _volunteer_ , no commandeering necessary." Her on the back of his motorcycle, arms tight around his waist…

The resentment was palpable, and suddenly the quiet shift made sense. "You worried about junior?"

"No," Dov automatically denied, then swiveled his head towards his partner. "Why? Do you think I should be?"

"No. I don't know." Realizing that wasn't comforting Oliver tried, "I mean, you  _seem_ worried."

Dov sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. "It's just… things have  _just_ settled down. Chris knows; he's not happy about it but at least he doesn't hate us. And Gail has finally stopped shutting down every time his name comes up. But then this guy shows up out of nowhere and he's the closest I've ever seen to her actually genuinely  _liking_ someone."

That was hardly reason to sound the alarms… "Their families are close, Dov; they've known each other since they were teens."

"It sounds like you're saying they're friends," Dov translated, a mite distrustfully. "But you said she didn't  _have_  friends."

"I said she didn't have friends when  _we_  knew her," Oliver reminded him. "He must have gotten in just under the wire, before her Elaine-ification."

Dov would have argued that Gail had never been fully 'Elaine-ified' (thank God), but the possibility that this Collins guy was in some way responsible shut him up. "So you don't know anything?" The 'must have' told him it was a long shot but he still had to ask.

Oliver shook his head. "Only what I heard through the grapevine." Lucy was already up in the offices and Bill had just been promoted when the Collins' had taken the boy in. "Jason and Jenny – the Chief's brother and sister-in-law – had kids of their own but they used to foster kids from time to time; you know, the ones whose parents would be getting them back once they'd done whatever the courts ordered. Anyway, the kid's parents were killed in an accident and Jenny was one of the medics on the scene. I guess she connected with him because she convinced Jason to adopt him permanently when living with his uncle didn't work out."

"That's it?" Despite being forewarned Dov was disappointed by the lack of intel.

Why was Oliver expected to be the fount of all knowledge Peck? He was starting to regret ever opening that can of worms… "Dov, I'm not tight with that group." After a beat he snapped his fingers as though having an epiphany. "You know who would probably know more?"

Dov perked up. "Who?"

"That girlfriend of yours," Oliver 'revealed,' giving him a pointed look.

Dov's groan was as much because of the answer as because he should have seen it coming. "I haven't exactly had a chance to talk to her about it yet. And what am I supposed to say, anyway? 'So… what was the exact nature of your relationship with Collins?'"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "She's your girlfriend, Dov, not a suspect."

More like a  _hostile witness_ … "You really think she's just going to volunteer information?" Oliver may not have known about them together but surely he knew  _her_  better than that…

"What does it matter, anyway?" Oliver deflected, accepting that the kid probably wasn't wrong. "Whatever it was, it's the past. She's with you now."

Less than two months ago she was with Chris –  _things changed_ … Returning his gaze out the window Dov took a steeling breath and gave voice to the thought that had been plaguing him all day: "Her arms were under."

"Come again?" Oliver blinked.

"When she hugged him her arms were around his waist." It hurt no less saying it a second time.

"Uh… that's usually how hugs work, Dov." Weird that his issue was  _that_  and not the hug itself…

Dov watched his reflection give a solemn shake of the head. "Even if she has to stand on her tiptoes her arms are going to be  _over_ , for control. Even with me and Chris. It's a 'Gail' thing." She  _still_  did it ninety percent of the time, he assumed instinctively, and that she had no such instinct when it came to 'junior' was going to make it a lot harder not to take personally.

Oliver would have thought the 'control' came in her barely letting anyone get that close to begin with… Besides,"Wouldn't that be  _less_ control? You could just pick her up." Especially if she was on her tiptoes and off balance.

Turning to his partner Dov lifted an eyebrow. "You know she'd just use the upward momentum to knee you in the groin, right?" He'd never asked her but he felt it was a pretty safe assumption. "Not to mention she'd have her arms around your neck and easy access to, like,  _every_  vulnerable part of your head…"

Point well taken, although now Oliver was wondering why anyone would ever let  _her_ get that close… "Wait – how long have you been watching her that you noticed?"

Dov had the decency to look shamed. "Doesn't matter. Point is, only reason her arms are  _under_  is because they're really close. She  _trusts_  him." Implicitly.

With anyone else that wouldn't have been such a big deal but Oliver could see the cause for concern. Still… "Look, kid, chances are he's just a friend. You should want that for her, right? Someone she trusts?" Lord knew they were few and far between.

Logically, Dov knew that. But what he  _should_  want and what he  _did_  want were a little hard to reconcile at the moment with the mental klaxons drowning everything else out.

The lack of response worried Oliver, and he shot his young partner a glance fraught with warning. "It's probably nothing, Dov. Don't go getting all paranoid and insecure and give her a reason to make it _something_." Peck was definitely not the type for coddling, and she was  _very much_  the type to do what she was accused of just out of spite.

Paranoid and insecure? Him?  _Never_ _!_  "So the Penny, huh?"

Oliver accepted the change in topic with a wry chuckle. "You got something better to do? That  _doesn't_ include sitting at your mom's waiting for Peck to call?"

Well, that was unnecessarily harsh… "Don't  _you_?"

"Nah. Zoë's off with the girls for the weekend. I'm a free man." Not a word of a lie and yet nowhere near the entire truth.

"Do you think we'll ever get to a place where I consider a couple of days away from her as 'free?'" And not, say, reason to expect the demise of their relationship?

Oliver patted his arm reassuringly. "You will, kid. Just don't do something stupid to screw it up."  _Like I did._

* * *

Gail waited impatiently for their waiter to deposit the drinks and pull out his notepad. "I'll start with the shrimp cocktail, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, and lobster mousse." Handing him her menu she finished, "And for the entrée I'll have the filet mignon, medium rare. Scalloped potatoes and Caesar salad."

Giving the man an amused shrug Nick handed over his own menu. "I'll have the salmon. Thanks." Once they were alone again he wondered, "Isn't that a bit excessive, even for you?"

"I don't care about excessive," Gail dismissed with a wave of her hand, the other mindlessly twirling her stemware. "I care about getting a full meal." Why did it always cost more money for  _less_ food?

Nick chuckled, relieved that at least some things hadn't changed. "Well, are you going to share at least?"

"Depends on if you manage to piss me off before then." And given that he was already treading on thin ice, and that it was  _him,_ prospects were bleak…

Her tone said it was as good as a foregone conclusion, and seeing as Nick hated to disappoint… "So…you and Epstein, huh?"

Gail paused with her wine glass at her lips; slowly lowered it back to the table. "How long you been holding onto that one for?"

"Since I was pretty sure you weren't going to kill me for it." Though the look she was giving him said he might have been a little premature with that assessment…

Taking a deliberate sip of rosé Gail mentally regrouped. "Who told you?" Her friends wouldn't have, her parents  _couldn't_   _have_ (not if he was telling the truth about them not knowing), and he hadn't had time to really chat with anyone else at the station.

Nick smiled, though it didn't really reach his eyes. "You took him to the fundraiser, Gail. When  _you_  show up in public with someone, people take notice." He'd known what it meant as soon as Jason had told him she'd brought a date.

The thought of another one of her social circles gossiping about her did nothing to brighten Gail's mood. "So? You got something to say about it?"

Ignoring the undercurrent of warning he allowed, "You were just never the relationship type, that's all. And he isn't exactly  _your_ type."

Gail's head took on a dangerous tilt. "And what's  _that_  supposed to mean?"

She'd gone from mildly threatening to downright scary without even raising her voice. Her fingers gently gliding over the hilt of her knife might have had something to do with that, though… "Nothing. Never mind."

"No. You said it…" Curious as much as annoyed she insisted, "Enlighten me, Collins – what's my 'type?'" She wasn't aware she had enough of a romantic history to even  _have_  one.

Nick smiled inwardly at how predictable she was; shrugged, "The kind of guy who's gonna pick you up and screw you senseless against the wall."

Okay, fine. Maybe back when all she'd been interested in was getting laid, but: "I'm not with Dov for the sex."

" _Ouch_." Nick winced in exaggerated sympathy.

Gail's eyes narrowed. "Don't. Don't twist my words. The sex is good."

Letting out a low whistle Nick shook his head, amazed. "Wow – you really  _have_  changed. What happened to the girl who'd kick a guy to the curb just for the sex not being  _great_?"

"I kept you around, didn't I?" she volleyed, smirk on her perfectly colored lips and glass tipped towards him in a mocking salute.

"Well, now I  _know_  I hit a nerve…" Tapping his glass to hers he held it there as he held her gaze. "…Saying the sex was anything less than  _mind-blowing_  is a blatant lie and you know it."

Gail fought the temptation to throttle him as he cockily took a swig of his beer. "I am  _not_  talking to you about this, Collins." He should count himself lucky that she was talking to him at all.

Nick shrugged, unfazed. "I'm just saying – you've got needs I know this guy isn't meeting."

"Oh, really?" Despite her previous declaration Gail couldn't just let that slide. "So you're psychic now? You spent like five minutes with him…"

"Five minutes I was practically laying claim to his girlfriend and he said nothing." Learning how to read people had saved Nick's life on more than one occasion, and this guy was obviously  _far_  too passive to tie her up or get a little rough when she wanted it.

Gritting her teeth Gail tersely offered, "Maybe he didn't realize he was in an Animal Planet documentary and needed to mark his territory." If  _she_ had she would've made it clear she wasn't territory to be marked. By  _anyone_. "Or maybe he's just secure in our relationship and knows you aren't a threat."

Nick had to swallow a chuckle at the not-so-subtle attempt at a take-down. "That's what you're going with? You guys don't even act like you  _are_ in a relationship."

Gail flinched before she could suppress it. "That's complicated."

"Because of Diaz," Nick supplied knowingly.

It took a second for the shock to pass enough for her to demand, "How is it that I don't even know you're back in town for a year but you seem to know everything about  _my_  life?" She felt like she was bringing a knife to a gunfight.

"I got updates from the Chief." It was the only way Nick could keep tabs on her from afar.

Gail was going to kill her big-mouthed, loose-lipped, over-sharing father.

"And you're trying to tell me that the guy who just stole his best friend's girlfriend – that girlfriend being the commitment phobic Gail Peck – is  _secure_ in that relationship?" Nick lifted a disbelieving eyebrow. "Either you're covering because you don't want to admit I'm right or the guy isn't as smart as I'd pegged him for."

"That's it…" Tossing her napkin on the table Gail pushed back her chair and stood. "We're done." How  _dare_  he?

"Gilly, stop.  _Please_." He grabbed her wrist as she made to pass; looked pleadingly up at her. "I'm sorry, okay? I guess I just thought that everything would be the same when I got back. Especially you."

Gail glared at his restraining hand but didn't dislodge it. "It's been five years, Nick." Obviously things were going to change, and he had no one to blame but himself for not being there to see it.

"Really?" Eyebrow raised he challenged, "You going to tell me you saw yourself here five years ago?"

Well, he had her there; she couldn't even have imagined herself being here  _two_  years ago…

Nick took her failure to respond as surrender; forced a smile. "Can you really blame me for being surprised that the girl who used to break out in hives at the mere  _mention_  of a relationship is suddenly Miss Monogamous?"

Blowing out a resigned puff of air Gail slid free and reclaimed her seat. "I don't blame you for being surprised, Nick." Hell, it surprised  _her_  more than anyone… "I blame you for being a dick about it. Can't you just be happy for me?"

"The way you were happy for  _me_?" Nick scoffed good-naturedly. "Sabotaging every relationship I had?"

Okay, so they hadn't had a very healthy friendship (what with her ever  _was_?) but in her defense it had never been all that hard to do… "Yeah, well, I'm possessive and don't like people trying to take away my toys. Good thing you've always been a better person than me."

He wasn't, really; there'd just never been anything for him  _to_  sabotage, and he wasn't sure he was going to deal with being on the other end of it any more maturely than she had... "I guess I'm just gonna have to get used to not being the only guy in your life anymore."

Gail ignored the pang of sympathy; gave him an overly sweet smile. "I had to get used to you not being in my life  _at all_  – I'm sure you'll manage."

 _Touché._ Nick wished he could make her understand that leaving her was the only choice he'd had if he'd wanted to stay sane, but he couldn't do that without telling her  _why_ , and he didn't think either one of them were ready for that yet.

"And just so there's no confusion," she added, part warning, part attempt at levity, "the only desert you'll be getting tonight is off that menu."

Burying his regret Nick summoned a cheeky grin. "So what you're saying is that there's hope for  _tomorrow_ …"

Gail rolled her eyes and turned to the waiter who'd started filling the table with her dishes. "The gentleman will be ordering his own appetizer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is enjoying their Easter/Passover/day :)
> 
> Sorry - real life has gotten in the way as sometimes happens. Also, this one day in story that was supposed to be like two chapters and is now at five, so I'm not sure how in the hell I'm going to make it the remaining two months until Andy's return and the real start of the season I'm mirroring lol Please hang in there with me!

Noelle rolled her eyes ceiling-ward as Epstein took another not-so-sneaky peek at his phone, happening more and more often the longer they were at the Penny. "You checking the time again or do you think you somehow missed a call in the last ten minutes?"

Understanding her annoyance – if not sharing it – Oliver lifted his shoulders in a playful shrug. "Why not both?"

"Oliver!" Traci gasped, almost choking on her beer. "Did you just quote a  _meme_?" If he  _hadn't_  she hoped he lied to her, otherwise she was going to be seriously disappointed.

"I have teenage daughters," Oliver hand-waved. "Ninety percent of what comes out of their  _mouths_  is 'meme.'" Adapt or have no clue what in the hell anyone was talking about.

Seeing his opportunity for revenge Dov took it, lips quirked. "I'm impressed; here I thought all you had in your bag of tricks was old-timey references and dad jokes."

Oliver slapped his palm against the table and let loose a rowdy, " _Hardy har har_!"

Way to prove him wrong about the old-timey references… "And just like that your street cred has plummeted again."

Traci chuckled. "I wouldn't worry too much about the guy still saying 'street cred,' Oliver." Dov was actually worse because he thought he was cool and 'hip to the lingo' but told more bad puns and dad jokes than anyone she knew.

Having his coolness factor doubted was the least of Dov's worries at the moment… "How long does it take to eat dinner, anyway? Their reservation was for seven."

Distracting from his lack of cool by highlighting his lack of  _chill_ … In keeping with the meme theme:  _Bold strategy, Cotton._

Noelle could field this one: "Normal people? A couple of hours. Peck? About ten minutes longer than it takes them to make the food." But that probably wasn't the answer he'd been looking for.

"It's 10:30…" Chris wouldn't say he was taking some kind of pleasure in watching his best friend stew the way  _he_  had the night of the arcade, but he couldn't say he  _wasn't,_ either…

Oliver sighed; they were only going to get the kid all riled up again for nothing. "I'm sure they're just catching up. It's been five years."

"But he was back  _last_  year," Dov countered in what might have been mistaken for a whine. "Why show up  _now_?"

_Karma_? It would have taken a level of cruelty Chris didn't possess to voice that possibility aloud though.

Gail had been even  _less_  emotionally available a year ago; Traci could only imagine it wouldn't have worked out nearly as well for Dov if he'd been vying against both Chris  _and_  Collins for the blonde's (extremely) limited affections… "Well, Frank said he did two tours in Afghanistan – maybe Sexy McSoldier needed some time to readjust to being back home."

Dov's brow furrowed unappreciatively. "Seriously?  _Sexy McSoldier?"_

"The man served our country, Dov," Traci grinned, unable to help herself. "All I'm doing is showing a little appreciation for his sacrifice."

Right… his  _sacrifice_. "And what would Jerry think of your 'appreciation?'"

Giving him a cheeky wink Traci suggested, "If it bothers him so much he can always enlist himself."

Chris spun the beer in his half-empty mug; announced to no one in particular, "I wonder if he wore his dress uniform to dinner." Were they allowed to wear it out in public like that?

"Really?" Dov's disbelieving gaze shifted from Traci to Chris. "You, too?"

It hadn't been a dig – only genuine curiosity – so Chris just shrugged. "I mean, it's not like he's your best friend or anything." Okay, maybe his subconscious had had a different idea…

Sufficiently shamed, Dov swallowed hard and ran a hand through his hair. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"No," Chris sighed, waving away the apology. "I get it, man; I'd probably be a little freaked, too." He wasn't normally an insecure guy but still, part of him was glad 'Sexy McSoldier' hadn't shown up on his watch.

Leave it to Chris to ruin Traci's attempt to lighten the mood… She tried again with a quipped, "Who would have guessed the ice queen had a friend before us, anyway?"

"Not me." Especially since she wasn't exactly chomping at the bit for  _their_  friendship.

"Me either," Chris echoed Dov.

"You would think she'd be better at it," Traci laughingly appended.

Noelle scoffed at their presumptuousness. "You sure she even considers you lot friends?"

That was… a fair question, actually. One Dov  _still_ couldn't answer with absolute certainty… "I think she does. She'll deny it unless she gets something out of admitting it, though." Which would almost never happen because – as she wasn't afraid to ruefully point out –  _hers_  was the only name that carried any weight.

Oliver was barely paying attention, still shaking his head in amazement at Diaz comforting the guy who'd just recently 'stolen' his girlfriend. The start of yet another conversation revolving around Peck was his cue to take off. "Alright, guys. That's it for me."

"Yeah – me too." Noelle was only there so Oliver wouldn't be stuck alone with the kids all night, anyway. Well, and to keep an eye on him, but he didn't need to know about that part.

"It's still early," Dov argued.

"And I am an old man that's having a harder and harder time getting myself out of bed." Though that wasn't entirely due to his age… "I'm sure Peck'll be here soon to keep the party going." Or get it  _started_.

Knowing Dov wouldn't leave without Gail, and feeling the need to debrief the blonde herself, Traci presented her empty glass. "I'm good for another round."

Chris nodded his agreement just as someone clasped his shoulders from behind.

"Well, look at these morose mothers right here…" Gail grinned slyly at Dov over Chris' head. "Told you you wouldn't be able to have any fun without me."

Dov's smile faded when he saw Collins standing beside her.

"About time…" Traci said by way of welcome, doubting the blonde had any clue that  _she_ was the reason for the moroseness. "Where've you been?"

It was a good thing Gail had a lot of practice brushing off judgment because Traci'd sounded eerily like Elaine just then… "I had to re-teach Collins how to dance."  _Mom._

"Yeah – turns out the travel agent lied and Afghanistan is a real war zone," Nick joked. "Not much call for ballroom over there."

Gail lifted a teasing eyebrow. "So you say; we don't know what you guys did during your down time."

Nudging her sideways he helped her out of her coat. "Dreamt of home, mostly."

Traci's eyes narrowed at his smooth implication and the familiarity between them. "Yeah, well, you're lucky we're still here."

Shrugging, Gail took their coats from Nick and tossed them on the bench of the next table over. "I figured someone would've let me know if you were leaving."

She hadn't named any names but Dov surreptitiously deleted the text he'd been in the middle of writing her.

Chris noted that, unlike Gail, Nick was back in his street clothes, leaving the question of his dinner attire (disappointingly) unanswered.

"You gonna introduce us to your friend, Princess?" Oliver prompted.

Right, Nick hadn't met the two senior officers yet… "Nick, this is resident papa-bear Oliver Shaw, and mama-bear-to-be Noelle Williams. Guys, Nick."

Noelle pursed her lips. "You know, just because the baby's not out yet doesn't mean I'm not a mom."

" _You know_ ," Gail mimicked, "Next time I'm just gonna go with my first choice of 'parasite carrier.'" Try to be nice…

The others groaned and/or rolled their eyes.

Nodding at Nick in acknowledgement, Oliver motioned for Noelle to stand so he could get off the bench. "Nice to meet you, Collins. Peck, we were just heading out."

"I just got here…" Gail smugly watched Nick's offer of help get batted away by Noelle before turning back to Oliver. "You trying to tell me something?"

"Only that you look beautiful." Coming to a stop in front of her Oliver pressed a kiss to her forehead, then enveloped her in a hug.

"Uh…" Gail's arms stayed stiff at her sides while her brain scrambled through a threat assessment and possible escape options. After a few seconds she tentatively returned the gesture.

The blonde's face over their TO's shoulder simultaneously screamed deer in headlights and caged tiger, and Traci couldn't help but snicker under her breath.

"He loves you more than anything," Oliver whispered gruffly into Peck's ear. "Just remember that when he screws up, okay?"

Something in his tone made Gail's breath catch. It was too wistful to be about a hypothetical; too pained to just be about Dov. When he pulled away she grabbed his arm and searched his face. "Hey – you okay?"

Oliver nodded; willed his voice cheerful. "Fine. I'm just glad  _we're_  okay."

Even if they hadn't made up weeks ago over the misunderstanding about Dov's transfer – tacitly and without apology from either party, of course – his emphasis still would have struck her as odd. He'd slipped away before she could question it, though.

"I'm going to hit the head first," Oliver told Noelle, stoic mask back in place. "I'll meet you outside."

"I'm pregnant and I go to the bathroom less than you," Noelle groaned as she donned her coat.

Oliver rubbed a loving palm over his abdomen. "Beer baby."

Gail sent her gaze after him, confused because he didn't seem drunk but he wasn't acting  _sober_  either… "How much has he had to drink?"

"Too much," Noelle covered for her emotional friend. "Don't worry – I got him."

Unconvinced, Gail sent a questioning glance at her boyfriend.

Dov gave her an amused shrug as Noelle walked away.  _Of course_  she'd think someone wanting to hug her was cause for concern…

Vacating her chair Traci put a hand on the blonde's arm to stop her from taking one. "Come with."

"Nuh-uh," Gail instantly declined, Oliver all but forgotten. "You may have suckered me into 'girls' night' and 'girls' weekend' but I draw the line at 'girls' trip to the bathroom.'"

"To the bar for another pitcher," Traci corrected with a heaving roll of her eyes.

_Oh_. "Well, fair warning: you ever start asking me to go pee with you we're done." That was one part of having girlfriends Gail would never understand. Or  _want_  to… Motioning for Nick to take Noelle's seat on the bench she told him, "I'll be right back."

Traci sighed, then led her friend to the bar proper.

"Did you miss me, Nash?" Gail smarmed as she took a stool. "Need some alone time?" Now  _that_  was something she could understand.

Ignoring the question, Traci didn't have to reach deep for her sternest look. "I can't believe you brought him here."

Gail blinked at the unexpected vitriol. "Nick? He's going to be one of us in a month. Figured I'd break him in early."

"Yeah? He got an awful lot of groveling done in one day." Traci knew the blonde was mostly all talk but that turnaround was ridiculous, even for her.

"I'm sorry," Gail lied, tamping down on her mounting ire, "Did I miss the part where it affects you?" Or where she owed anyone an explanation? "What's the problem?"

"' _What's the problem_?'" She couldn't possibly be this dense… "I'm the only one at our table you  _haven't_  slept with, Gail."

Gail forcibly unclenched her jaw. "You realize that would be true even  _without_ Nick here, right?" Clearly alcohol had impaired the girl's ability to reason… "And by the way? Slut shaming is not a good look for you." At least Gail hadn't been with two of them at the  _same time_ …

Traci's brow furrowed. "I wasn't slut shaming. I'm just…"

"Feeling left out?" Gail's mock-sympathetic purse of the lips quickly became a mock-lascivious grin. "We could always make it four for four, you know. That's the kind of 'girls' trip to the bathroom' I could get behind."

Irritation quickly set Traci back on track. "Can you be serious for one second? I meant think about the position you're putting Dov in. He already has to deal with Chris being around all the time, now he's freaking out about your little blast from the past and you go and bring him here like he  _belongs_?"

Liam had appeared on their side of the bar so Gail communicated their order – over the sound of Traci's glaring disapproval – then turned back to her 'friend.' "So let me get this straight – you're mad at me because Dov's freaking out about Nick so you decided to call me over  _here_  and leave them over there  _alone together_?" Ingenious plan.

"They're not alone," Traci immediately countered. "Chris is with them."

"You  _just_ said Chris is part of the problem." Girl needed to make up her mind.

Glancing at their table for evidence all was good, Traci saw it seemed to be draped in an awkward silence. At a loss she looked back to the blonde with a huffed, "Stop trying to turn this around on me."

Laughing was probably the wrong response so Gail swallowed the urge. "Well, did you tell him there's no reason to freak out?"

"No." Anticipating the blonde's next question slash accusation Traci justified, "Because one: you never actually said that. Two: if I'd told him what you  _had_  said – which wouldn't be very comforting, by the way – you'd be all pissy with me for getting all up in your business. And  _three_ : I'm not sure he'd believe it. Not coming from me, at least." The more she saw them together the less Traci believed it herself.

As much as Gail would like to find fault with  _that_  reasoning she couldn't. "Fine.  _I'll_ tell him." It wasn't like she  _wanted_ him freaking out.

Surprised at how easily her friend had given in Traci decided to press further: "Showing is more effective than telling, remember?"

God, how Gail hated her words being used against her… "Trace, he already spends like five nights a week at my place; I'm not going to agree to marry him just so he stops worrying about something he shouldn't be worried about." There were some things she was willing to do to humor him but that definitely wasn't one of them. Especially since she doubted it would even make a difference.

"You know what else might do the trick?" Traci offered, her tone carrying a note of exasperation at having to spell it out for her. "Acting like you actually  _like_  him in public. Chris and Oliver  _both_  got more affection than he did."

Okay, one of those was hardly by choice… "You think this is how I want it, Traci? Hell no." Albeit more sexual than affectionate, Gail wasn't exactly the type to keep her hands to herself… "But we've put Chris through enough and I'm not going to put him through that, too." Besides, it wasn't  _all_  bad for Dov; by the time they were alone she was extra revved up and always more than ready to make it up to him. She didn't think Traci would appreciate having that info though…

Traci sighed, softening, and nodded her thanks at Liam who had deposited their pitcher. "Gail, it's great that you want to protect Chris. Really." Two years ago it was more than she would've ever thought the blonde capable… "But if it comes down to protecting Chris' feelings or Dov's, who are you going to choose?"

Judging by the other girl's expression it was supposed to be a 'gotcha' moment, but Gail's instinctive answer still would've been 'Chris.' As Traci (smugly) walked away with the pitcher and a glass, she grabbed her own glass from Liam and brandished it at him. "I blame  _you_ , just so you know."

Liam put his arms up in surrender. "Whoa, what did I do?"

"Started this whole thing by dropping me off at his mom's."  _Duh_.

"Uh…" Lowering his hands he proceeded to wipe down the bar top in front of her. "I know you probably don't remember much about that night but you  _told_  me to." Not that he was naive enough to believe that would stop her from blaming him…

Gail gave a vehement shake of her head. "Okay, one: I don't think breaking into his house at 3am like some demented stalker was  _my_  idea, and two: even if it  _was_ , I was ludicrously drunk and it was your moral bartender duty to stop me from doing something stupid. Would you give a junkie a ride down to Moss Park just because they asked you nicely?"

"Okay,  _one_ : you're drunk right now if you think you asked  _nicely_ ," Liam teased, "And  _two_ : do you realize you just compared yourself to an addict and him to your fix?"

She was nowhere  _near_  drunk – having kept her wits about herself to be able to deal with Nick – which meant she was nowhere near pacified (or desperate) enough to be psychoanalyzed. "Take the night off, Doc. I was just saying you're an enabler."

Liam shrugged unapologetically. "Sorry – as long as I'm here the doctor is in." He was surprised that she didn't take that opportunity to flee, though he assumed it was less about wanting to talk and more about  _not_  wanting to return to the table.

After a couple of minutes watching him fill orders and return in between to wipe down the same (sparkling) spot, Gail gave in with a sigh. "It's a lot harder than I thought it would be."

Taking back her glass he started to pull her a pint. "What do you mean?"

"Emotionally Chris was perfect for me," she narrated evenly, fingers tracing a knot in the wood. "Nothing bothered him, and if it  _did_  he never said anything so I didn't have to care."

"That's…" Liam paused to measure his words. "…Not healthy. For either of you."

"I didn't say it was." In her defense she hadn't really realized it  _wasn't_  until after her conversation with Ryan. "But it was comfortable. And safe. And what I was  _used to_." Her life to that point a master class in avoidance: if you didn't talk about it, it didn't exist. "Pretending everything's fine even when it isn't."

Liam slid the full glass back to her; guessed, "And Dov doesn't let you do that."

"Nope." She downed half the tangy liquid in one go. "Not even a little."

Apparently that was a bad thing now… "I thought you liked that about him? That he forces you outside your comfort zone?"

Liking the  _idea_  of it and being equipped to  _handle it_  were two entirely different things. "I thought I could do it. But unlike Chris  _everything_  bothers him and I'm apparently bound by some stupid girlfriend code to care about  _all_ of it." Meeting his gaze she tacked on, "Or at least act like I do. Either way it's exhausting."

Leaning on the bar with his chin in his palm, Liam did his best to appear indifferent. "Are you regretting your decision?"

What? " _No_." Wish it could be easier? Yes. Hope eventually he'll learn to limit his freak-outs to things that actually warranted it? God, yes. But other than that… "We're good. It's just… we'd be  _great_  if it was just us, away from everything and every _one_  else."

Liam hid his relief behind an amused, "Yeah – that's not how that works."

Didn't she know it… "Which means I'm screwed. I have to worry about Chris' feelings, and Dov's feelings  _about_  Chris' feelings, and then  _this_  asshole…" She jutted a thumb in Collins' direction. "…Strolls in here acting like he holds my title, so now I've got to worry about Dov's feelings about  _that_  and Nick's feelings about  _everything_ and it's a good thing Andy's not around because she'd be talking about  _her_ feelings and I'd probably have to shoot myself."

Her palpable frustration with the situation was the only thing that kept Liam from laughing aloud at her rapid-fire summary. "I'm sensing a theme here."

Gail rolled her eyes at him. "I think we've already established that I'm allergic to feelings. I was so much better off when I could pretend no one had them." God, she missed those days…

Her perpetual poker face made it easy to forget she was still struggling to come to terms with her new normal. "You know that just because you've decided to finally acknowledge people  _have_  them doesn't mean you're responsible for them, right?"

"No?" Lifting her hands Gail touched one index finger to the other. "My only friend feels like I've left him behind like his dead parents and shithead brother did." She made a show of moving the finger to the next in line as she counted them off. "My ex-boyfriend is faced daily with the reminder that I betrayed him with his best friend." And the next. "My current boyfriend finally has what he wants but is too busy jumping at shadows to actually enjoy it." Both hands moved to the bar where they rested in self-loathing fists. "I am  _directly_ responsible."

Liam's lips pursed sympathetically. "I meant that you don't have to take them all on, Gail." Leave it to her to try to take it straight to 200 MPH her first time on the track…

"Great! So who do I vote off the island?" It bothered her to no end that she finally cared like everyone wanted and yet she'd somehow found a way to do it  _wrong_  in their eyes.

Despite the snark Liam thought she  _was_ looking for guidance. Unfortunately: "Only you can decide that."

Gail quirked a critical eyebrow. "Really? 'Cause apparently Traci thinks  _she_  can. According to her my priorities should be Dov then Chris. Nick wouldn't even make the cut."

"You don't agree?" It was less a question than a request for confirmation.

"That Dov should automatically be first on the list because he's sharing my bed?  _No_." The very idea was absurd.

Liam hesitated, trying to determine if maybe that was sarcasm. "It's a little bit deeper than just sharing your bed, Gail."

His disappointment was unmistakable even though he'd tried to mask it. "Look, Chris was legit wronged and he has the right to feel some type of way about it. Dov… Dov likes to 'borrow trouble,' as my mother would say; it's hard to take seriously after a while." Right or wrong, for Gail it was a merit-based system and Dov just didn't merit it.

"You think he's overreacting." Well, that didn't bode well…

That was one way to put it… "Let's just say he 'checked in' so many times today I started texting him first so I wouldn't have to fight the urge to throw my phone out the window. Or block his number." Whether it was because of the ride-along or Nick – or a stars-aligned compound effect of  _both_  – it was hella annoying. "I guess I won't be winning any 'best girlfriend' awards any time soon, huh?" And she'd had a nice spot all picked out next to the one for 'Humanitarian of the Year' and everything…

Liam suspected she was downplaying her motives in texting him first – perhaps even to herself – but she was still a far cry from being wrong… "Okay, let me put it to you this way: what if the roles were reversed and you'd taken him from Sue?"

"Would never happen." Not because it was wrong; just because she would never have been looking for another emotional entanglement.

She kinda  _had_ , albeit unintentionally… "Gail, the purpose of this exercise is to put yourself in  _his_  shoes."

"Well, that's your mistake right there," she smirked, "I don't  _do_  exercise." Also? His shoes were too small for her.

Ignoring her glibness – save for a roll of his eyes – Liam continued painting the picture. "She's around all the time and he doesn't want to act like you're dating to spare her feelings."

Gail put up a hand to stop him. "I didn't think this hypothetical could get any more far-fetched, but are we also pretending Sue is my best friend?"

"Sure." It didn't really make a difference either way – that wasn't the important part.

It didn't take much deliberation for Gail to shrug, "Then I'd hate having to restrain myself but it would only be around her so I'd deal."

"Close enough: he's bothered – for different reasons – but as far as I know he  _is_ dealing." When she opened her mouth to protest, probably against his use of 'bothered,' Liam quickly went on. "Now imagine some girl from his past shows up and starts rubbing how close they are and how well she knows him in your face."

Gail gave her head a dangerous tilt. "Am I allowed to very un-gently rub my fist in  _her_ face?"

Stifling a laugh Liam tapped her nose with a gentle finger. " _No_. Because you're not a violent person."

"I would be if I cared enough to expend the energy," she warned in a (maybe) playful growl.

He withdrew his digits before she could decide she  _did_. "You're Dov, remember?"  _Dov_  cared – maybe too much – but he wasn't violent. "And you know you can't say anything about her – or  _them_  – because she's his oldest friend for God's sake and he already thinks you're paranoid and oversensitive. So all you  _can_  do is shut your mouth and pray it  _is_  just paranoia; keep reminding yourself that he loves you. But even that doesn't make you feel better because loving Sue didn't stop him from leaving  _her_ , right?"

Gail stared at him, unblinking. "Dov never loved Sue."

Accurate or not… "Dov is  _you_. You loved Chris." She was too smart (and sober) to be having that much trouble with the concept, though, and Liam could tell by the faintest tightening of her jaw that she wasn't happy her little attempt at deflection had failed.

She'd never  _stopped_  loving Chris – just stopped pretending love could make up for everything else – but she wasn't willing to open up that can of worms,  _even_  to change the subject… Taking a steadying breath she wondered, "Dov tell you all that?"

Liam shook his head. "He caught me up on the new guy while I was pulling their pitcher; my advanced degree in bartender psychology helped me out with the rest." Mostly from what  _she'd_  just told him, but if she knew that she'd likely never open up to him again… "Am I that far off the mark?"

Knowing Dov – and as much as she'd hate to  _admit_  it – probably not. "It's still…"

He put a hand in front of her mouth, offending her into silence, then confiscated her glass to indicate that they were done. "Just think about it, okay?"

Gail's lips fell into an indignant pout. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Something that doesn't apply to Dov, I'm sure." She didn't argue – just huffed under her breath – so he felt it safe to assume he was right. "He's not like you, Gail. He isn't allergic to feelings, is pretty much  _incapable_  of acting like everything's fine when it isn't, and he  _definitely_  wasn't blessed with an overabundance of self-confidence." Or as most people who knew her would call it:  _arrogance_ … "If you want your relationship to stay 'good' then you need to accept that. If you want it to be  _great_  then you're probably gonna need to factor it in when deciding your list."

Fan-fucking-tastic – instead of helping her knock people  _off_  her list he'd just cemented Dov's spot  _on_  it.  _Good talk_ … Stealing her glass back she emptied it in one gulp. "You know this is why he thinks you're his Gail-whisperer, right? He's gonna keep coming to you every time he thinks we have a problem."

She'd started this conversation (and the last) all on her own, but as long as she was talking Liam didn't think Dov would mind taking the blame… "He already paid for a case of vodka to be set aside with your name on it."

There was a good chance it wasn't a joke but Gail laughed anyway, imagining an emergency box of Stolichnaya behind the bar with a tiny hammer and 'BREAK GLASS IN CASE OF GAIL-RELATED EMERGENCY' written across it in big red letters. "Sounds like he thinks he's gonna need your help a lot. Could be a whole new income stream for you."

Liam set her empty glass in the sink; chuckled, "You think I should start  _charging_ him?"

Capitalism  _did_  make the world go round. "Well, my company  _should_  be its own reward but it can't buy you nice things. Why should you give your services away for free?"

Aside from the fact that he should probably be charging  _her_  instead? "You know if I did that he'd go broke, right?" She (hopefully) couldn't get upset at the implication, having made it herself first.

Or,  _conversely_ , "Maybe if he had to pay he'd think twice about whether or not it's a  _real_  problem…" Certainly seemed like a win-win to her.

She was so pleased by her take that Liam had to teasingly shake his head. "There'd still be enough of  _those_  to send him to the poor house. And that's even  _without_  hazard pay."

Unable to dispute the first part, she spared the second a questioning eyebrow. "Hazard pay?"

At the risk of bringing Sue to mind again… "See, talking to you is kinda like disarming a bomb. With every snip of a wire there's a chance I set you off and you kill me."

Gail studied him, eyes narrowed, then slid off the stool with a shrugged, "Yeah – that's fair."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> So how'd you like it? Feel bad for Dov already?
> 
> Gustnado: A short-lived, shallow surface-based vortex which forms within the downburst emanating from a thunderstorm. Has more in common with a whirlwind than a tornado. While injuries or deaths are rare from gustnadoes, strong ones can cause damage and they are hazardous to drivers... Basically Nick calling her Gustnado Gail is calling her out on her (mostly) 'all bark, no bite' persona.


End file.
